Camp TV: Off the Air
by TheDarkLegate
Summary: Car chases, gaming sessions, heart to heart talks, killer animatronics, and musical numbers! See what your favorite contestants are up to when the cameras stop rolling on CTV: Sunset Cruise!
1. Hunger

_To take place after Sunset Cruise Episode Four: Jeepers Creepers_

~o.0.o~

Julie let out a sigh as she examined the kitchen's freezer, finding it completely empty.

"So, we're all out of food then, huh?"

DJ, who was standing behind her, nodded.

"Yeah. We have a few scraps, but we need to stock up."

"Didn't think we'd run out so fast," Julie sighed, "alright, look. I'll tell the captain to change his course. We'll stop off along the coast, and you can take a bus into the city to grab some food. Here."

Julie handed DJ a wad of money.

"Damn- isn't this a little much?" DJ asked.

"One of the perks of working for Milton. He's made so much money he has no problems throwing it around. Since there's a little extra, I'll call the contestants up, and you can see if they want anything."

"Gotcha," DJ nodded, "I'll go get ready."

Julie made her way out on deck, and walked over to the intercom.

"Attention everyone- please report on deck ASAP. Thank you."

A few minutes later, most of the contestants were all gathered on deck, a few still in their pajamas.

"What's going on?" Cody yawned, "It's still early."

"You better have a good reason for waking me up," Heather threatened.

"Well, Heather, if you'd just shut up a minute, I could get to explaining. As it turns out, we're mostly out of food, so I'm sending DJ out to go shopping."

Julie held up a clipboard.

"If there's anything specific you want, mark it down here. And... Another thing. Since you guys have been such good sports throughout five seasons of this show, I'll allow some of you to tag along and take a trip into the city with DJ. Anyone interested?"

"Yeah, why not?" Duncan smiled, "It'll be nice to get out and about for a change."

"I'd like to go too, if that's okay," Luna said.

"Count me in," Mordecai smirked, "this is a chance for me to pick up the new Sonic game?"

At this, Veronica started laughing.

"Oh god, you're going to get Sonic Boom? Nobody tell him."

"What?" Mordecai asked, "Confused, what's wrong with...?"

"Ahem. I'm interested in tagging along- this is a good chance to learn about the different cultures down here," Margo said.

"Oh! Oh! Explosivo wants to go!"

Deborah thought a moment and said, "I'd like to pick up one or two things too, if that's alright."

"And I better go with them," Justin smirked, "you know, make a public appearance, make the day of a couple fans."

"I'm sure," Julie mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Just then, DJ appeared.

"I'm all ready," he said, "got the list?"

"Yeah- here."

Julie handed DJ the clipboard after it was done being passed around, and said, "Also, Duncan, Justin and a few others wanted to come with you, if that's alright."

"Of course!" DJ smiled, "It'd be nice to have company."

"In that case, you guys have fun," Julie told them, "it looks like we're about to dock just outside Acapulco. Pick me up some chocolate, alright?"

"Will do, boss. See you in a bit."

~o.0.o~

While the DJ's group prepared to disembark, everyone else either went back to sleep, or went about their morning like normal.

Veronica, who was heading back to her room to play some Fallout 3, ended up bumping into Miri in the hallway.

"Oh, uh, hey!" Veronica greeted nervously, "What's up, Miri?"

"Oh, hi Veronica!" Miri said cheerfully, "I was just about to head down to the cargo hold. You know those animatronics Julie used as decorations from a couple nights ago? She was nice enough to let me tinker around with them."

"Oh yeah? What are you planning on doing with them?"

"I don't know, reprogram them to be my personal robo-butlers. But then again, it's been a while since I've watched robots duel to the death..."

"Wow- I was just going to go play some video games, but that sounds way cooler right now! Mind if I help out?"

"Of course not- come on!" Miri smiled.

The two girls headed down into the cargo hold, where they searched through various containers.

"Okay, Julie used animatronics of Freddy and Jason- shouldn't be too hard to find," Miri reasoned.

"Uh... Miri?" Veronica called, "I found something."

"What is it?"

Miri turned, and saw Veronica standing in front of three animatronics- but they weren't the ones Julie had used. One of them was a large, friendly-looking bear with a top hat and cane. The second was a blue rabbit with a bow-tie, as well as a curly mustache. Finally, there was a feminine-looking duck- or perhaps a chicken- wearing a cheerleader's outfit.

"Um... Those weren't there when we came in," Miri said nervously.

"But they are animatronics," Veronica pointed out, "and we can't find the other ones- maybe Julie meant for you to have these instead?"

"I'm not sure," Miri frowned, "I think she would have told me, but... Hmm, maybe she won't mind. Here, help me bring these back to my room."

~o.0.o~

"Well," DJ smiled, "here we are."

The contestants had just arrived at the city, and were just now getting off the bus.

"Finally- where's the game store?" Mordecai asked.

"Why don't you check this?" Margo suggested, handing him a map.

Mordecai snatched it up, and quickly poured over it.

"What- but this is in- I can't read this!"

"Alright everyone, listen up," DJ announced, "it's ten o'clock right now. The next bus back leaves in two hours, so meet me here by then. I'm gonna go find the store- if anyone wants to come with, feel free."

Everyone began to split up into groups- DJ, Justin, Duncan and Luna in one, Deborah, Margo and Izzy in another, with Mordecai going off on his own in the hopes of finding a video game store.

"So, you have any real idea where we're going?" Duncan asked.

"Well, I mean... we have to find a food store. That shouldn't be too hard," DJ shrugged, "besides, we can always ask someone for help."

"Right. Which of us speaks fluent Spanish again?" Justin frowned.

"...okay, point taken," DJ muttered, "I guess maybe we should have brought Alejandro."

"Um, why are all these people staring at us?" Luna asked.

The others looked around, and saw crowds had begun to gather on the streets, pointing and whispering.

"Heh. It's only natural they'd catch on that a famous movie star was in their city," Justin smiled, "they'll probably be lining up for autographs-"

"Dude, you were in TWO movies," Duncan told him, "and only one was a starring role. I'm not sure that counts as-"

"Hey, those were good movies," Jusin snapped, "especially Revenge of the Explosions 2: The Reckoning. Critics cried when my character was killed off!"

Justin smiled, and turned to the crowd.

"Hola! Do you guys want an autograph?" He asked.

The crowd didn't respond, but continued talking amongst themselves in rather annoyed tones, casting the group mean glares.

"They don't seem happy," Luna whimpered.

"Riiight," DJ gulped, "let's just keep going."

~o.0.o~

Mordecai began to grow more and more frustrated as he wandered the streets, unable to find a single store. Exasperated, he finally walked into a bar, seeking help.

The inside of the bar was rather dimly lit, covered in neon signs and television sets. It was sparsely populated, given the time of day, but that didn't stop nearly every single patron from giving Mordecai strange looks. One of them, who seemed to speak fluent english, cast an amused glance over.

"Hola. Aren't you a little young to be here, friend?" He asked.

"I'm not here for you crappy drinks," Mordecai scoffed, "I'm just looking for a game store."

The man smiled, and nodded.

"Game store, eh? There have been many recent releases. Perhaps you're looking for Shadows of Mordor? Borderlands? I know- you're looking for Supwr Smash Brothers, aren't you?"

"Actually, I'm looking for Sonic Boom," Mordecai smirked.

There was a collective gasp, and everyone went silent. The man who had been speaking to Mordecai stood up and glared.

"I think it's time for you to leave."

"Leave?" Mordecai demanded, "Just tell me where I can find-"

"We don't talk about Sonic Boom around here," the man growled, taking a menacing step forward.

"U-um... Um..." Mordecai stammered, frozen in place, "I just-"

The next thing Mordecai knew, he was ejected from the bar, and thrown into the street.

"Fine!" He shouted, "I'll show you! I'll show all of you!"

Mordecai picked himself up, and sniffled a little.

"Jerks..."

When he turned around, there were two men in black standing behind him. Before Mordecai could say a word, one of the men gestured to him.

"That's the one that's been asking about Sonic Boom."

Mordecai felt something hit him in the back of the head, and he was dragged off, unconscious.

~o.0.o~

Back on the boat, Veronica was walking around, quietly observing Miri's too as the redhead worked on one of the animatronics. Miri's room was a lot different than everyone else's. Sure, everyone had personalized their space; Justin had hung up posters of the movies he was in, Cody had various tv and movie memorabilia organized everywhere, and Veronica herself had lined her shelves with games- as well as various action figures of her favorite game characters. Miri, however, had papers everywhere, test tubes and beakers filled with unknown liquids, as well as lab equipment scattered around. There was one thing, however, that made Veronica smile- the pointer from the oujia board they had used.

"These robots are... Really weird," Miri commented.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean, they seem pretty old, but on the other hand the tech inside them seems pretty advanced," Miri frowned, tweeting around with the wires inside, "I haven't seen half of this stuff before outside of books an documentaries."

Veronica walked over, and examined one of the robots- the chicken. Despite not being alive- hell with that, not even activated- it seemed to stare back at her.

"Echh. Creepy," Veronica muttered.

"Right?" Miri nodded.

As soon as Veronica turned to walk away, the robot suddenly turned on.

"Hey there, kids!" The chicken called cheerfully, "Let's eat!"

"Um, Veronica? Did you...?"

"I didn't touch it!"

"Okay," a voice said, "what the hell is going on here?"

The two girls turned, and saw Noah standing in the doorway.

"I'm just passing through, minding my own business when I hear you two talking about science and robots-" Noah gestured to the animatronics, "-and then I see this nonsense."

"What's your favorite pizza?" The chicken asked, "Mine's extra cheese!"

"And why is that duck dressed like a cheerleader?" Noah asked.

"Hey, we found it this way," Veronica shrugged.

"Of course you did," Noah sighed.

"So... Um... You want to help us reprogram these and mess around with Quinn?" Veronica asked.

"...yeah, alright," Noah nodded.

~o.0.o~

"Izzy sure is taking a long time," Margo huffed as she looked out to the street, "she said she'd be back by now."

Deborah checked her watch and said, "It's been nearly an hour now. I have I have no idea what the hold up could be. I was just hoping to get some baking supplies, if I had known it would have taken this long..."

At that moment, a car came to a skidding halt in front of them. The front window rolled down, and Izzy poked her head out.

"Sorry that took so long guys! Hop in!"

The two girls did as instructed, both getting into the back seat.

"This is a really nice car," Deborah observed, a bit wary, "where did you get this?"

"I borrowed it!" Izzy said cheerfully, slamming the gas pedal.

Margo and Deborah let out a yelp as the car came to a roaring start, Izzy cruising down the road at an uncomfortable speed.

"So, where to, friends of mine?" Izzy asked.

"I wa just hoping to pick up some supplies," Deborah gulped, "y'know, for cooking."

"And I was hoping to see some sights," Margo said nervously.

"Scenic route it is!" Izzy cheered.

The three sped along the road in silence for a few minutes, before sirens could be heard in the distance.

Margo let out a nervous chuckle.

"Must have been an accident."

In response, Izzy adjusted her rear view mirror, and began to speed up a little.

"Izzy, what are you doing?" Deborah asked, alarmed.

"Other than avoiding a diplomatic incident? You two should be thanking me!"

"Oh no," Deborah groaned, "this car is stolen- YOU STOLE THIS CAR!"

"Well, what IS stealing, really?" Izzy asked, "I mean, sure, you could SAY I stole it, but I fully intended to give it bag, AND throw in a bag of churros to boot. If anything, I end up on the short end of the stick!"

"And we're all about to end up in jail!" Margo shouted.

"Relax- this isn't my first time at the rodeo," Izzy smiled, "now, get ready; we're about to go off that ramp.

"Wait, whaAAAAAAAAAA-"

~o.0.o~

"Are they still out there?" Luna asked.

"Yep," Duncan sighed, "looks like it."

The group had finally made it to the store, and were at the check out counter. What was unnerving them was the mass of people outside, staring in at them.

"Why won't they leave?" Luna frowned, "Are- are those pitchforks?"

"Okay, that settles it. I'm going out to talk to them," Duncan muttered.

"Hey, wait!"

Duncan stormed outside, Luna following close behind.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Duncan demanded.

A man appeared at the front of the group, glaring Duncan down.

"You are from Camp TV, yes?"

"That's right," Duncan nodded.

"And Camp TV is owned by one Patrick Milton," the man scoffed, "the very same man who came in years ago, shooting a movie here. A movie that, instead of cgi, featured real explosions and accidents. A movie that ended up wrecking half our city and sinking our economy."

"I heard about that," Luna nodded.

"Look man, I'm sorry to hear that," Duncan told him, "Milton is an asshole, sure, but we didn't have anything to do with that."

"No," the man agreed, "however, Camp TV has become a very valuable asset to him. And it would be a shame if something were to happen to its stars."

The crowd began to March forward as Justin and DJ came out of the store, multiple carts of groceries in tow.

"Okay!" DJ cheered, "We've got the- WHY IS THERE AN ANGRY MOB?"

"Just run!" Duncan shouted, turning and sprinting off.

"Duncan!" DJ shouted, "Don't you leave me with these groceries, man!"

~o.0.o~  
"Wake him up."

Mordecai let out a groan as a bright light was flashed into his eyes. He shook his head, and looked around the room he was in. He was tied to a chair in front of a wooden table, and a man was pacing back and forth in front of him.

"Mordecai Baxter," the man said, slamming a file down on the table, "I heard you were looking for government property. Dangerous government property."

"Wha... What?" Mordecai stammered, "I just wanted to play Sonic Boom! It's a videogame, that's all-"

The man laughed.

"Sonic Boom? Sonic Boom isn't a videogame. Did you know that six months before release, half of the development company quit their jobs?"

"What?" Mordecai whimpered.

"Did you ALSO know since the release of Sonic Boom, the rates of job loss, violence, deforestation, and wild fires has gone up?"

"I just want to play Sonic-"

"YOU CAN'T HANDLE SONIC BOOM!"

The man slammed his fists down on the table, and straightened his tie.

"You're a reality star now. Influential. If people hear you've been playing this game, they'll want to play, too. Only one problem. It isn't a game- it's a weapon. It was never meant to hit shelves back home in America. We wanted to use it for national security."

"Can you just let me go?" Mordecai groaned.

"We'll let you go," the man agreed, "but first... Here."

The man slid Mordecai a controller, and turned on a tv across the room.

"First, I'd like you to understand the magnitude of what this game has done."

To Mordecai's surprise, the game popped up on the screen, and he smiled.

"So... I can play?"

"Oh, you can play," the man nodded, "you can play."

Mordecai smirked, and took the controller. Hitting start, he began to relax- until the game actually started.

"Wait a second," Mordecai frowned, "these graphics... the acting... and this level design!"

As the game went on, his cries began to grow more and more frantic.

"Oh god, the lag! The terrible gameplay! What... Who wrote this? This is terrible writing? Why was this made? WHYYYYYYY?"

"You're not going to tell a soul about this game, are you?" The man in black asked.

"No! I promise I'll never mention it again!"

"Poor bastard. Get him out of here."

~o.0.o~

Miri, Veronica, and Noah snickered as they waited outside Quinn's door, the three animatronics in tow.

"Okay," Miri said, "I've got the rabbit hooked up to this remote controller here. So I'll have him walk inside, and scare the pants off of Quinn. For science."

Miri began to fiddle around with the controller, and the bunny slowly lurched forward, and slammed open Quinn's door. The bunny walked inside, and a loud shriek was heard. Veronica held a hand to her mouth, and began snickering.  
"Heh heh, yeah. Take that, you jerk."

"Okay, okay, we've had our fun," Miri said, "I really should bring that thing back out here."

Miri began to use the controller again- but instead of the robot coming back outside, there was another scream.

"That should have worked!" Miri gasped.

Veronica craned her head into the room, jaw immediately dropping.

"WHY DOES IT HAVE A KNIFE?" Veronica exclaimed, "WHO GAVE IT A KNIFE?"

"What?!" Miri panicked.

The three looked into the room to see Quinn baked into a corner, the bunny brandishing a large knife in front of her.

"No! Bad robot!" Miri shouted, "Very bad!"

The bunny turned and looked at Miri, giving Quinn just enough time to rush out of her room and down the hall. The bunny slowly walked out of the room, and peered at the three.

"What's going on?" Noah demanded, "I thought you said you could control this thing!"

"T-this must be a malfunction!" Miri cried.

"This is some malfunction!" Noah exclaimed.

"Everybody RUN!" Veronica shouted, grabbing Miri's hand and speeding down the hall. Noah quickly followed suit, with the animatronic giving chase. When the three rounded the corner, however, they found the other two animatronics blocking their path.

Veronica sighed.

"Well, SHIT!"

~o.0.o~

"This isn't happening!" Deborah groaned as she looked out the car window, watching the police slowly begin to catch up, "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening-"

"Get it together!" Izzy snapped, "You'd think this was the first car chase you'd ever been in!"

"This IS the first car chase I've been in! NORMAL PEOPLE DO NOT GET INTO CAR CHASES!"

"Oh," Izzy frowned. After a second, genuinely trying to be courteous, she added, "Should I go slower?"

"No! Then the police are going to- why did you have to steal he car in the first place?!"

"Okay, I'm not condoning the theft of a vehicle," Margo gulped, "but maybe we should just think of a way out of this first?"

Izzy scanned the environment, and smiled.

"A-HA! I got this, guys!"

Izzy made a very abrupt turn, and sped down an alley, splashing mud onto a civilian in the process.

"Ugh! I can't believe Ricardo got mud all of his new shirt!" The passerby exclaimed.

Izzy sped through the alley, managing to finally lose the police.

"Woo!" The redhead cheered, "That was fun, right guys?"

"NO!"

"Eh, you'll tell your kids about this someday," Izzy shrugged, "well, we might as well catch up with the others."

~o.0.o~

When Mordecai finally came to, he found himself face down on the sidewalk, a crowd of people staring at him.

"Ugh..." He groaned, "What happened?"

Mordecai slowly got to his feet, and rubbed his temples. His head was pounding, and he could hear what sounded like shouting in the distance.

"What the-"

Mordecai turned, and saw DJ, Duncan, Justin and Luna frantically pushing shopping carts as they outran an angry horde. Upon seeing Mordecai, DJ shouted, "GET BACK TO THE BOAT!"

Mordecai blinked, and then immediately turned and started sprinting. He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't care. All he knew was that enough had happened to him that day, and he just wanted to get back to the boat.

After several minutes, he finally made it to the boat, and ran on to the deck. Julie was calmly drinking a cup of coffee while several other contestants (Cody, Heather, Mark, Bridgette and Alejandro) hung around.

"Go! We need to get out of here!" Mordecai panted.

"I would, but DJ is still out for- why is there an angry mob headed for my boat?" Julie demanded.

DJ and company finally arrived, shopping carts still in tow.

"We're here," he choked out, "we need to leave!"

"We're down three people, and what the HELL is going on here?"

"No... No time to explain," Duncan gulped, "I- oh crap."

The mob had finally caught up.

"This is it!" One of them shouted, "CAPTURE THEM!"

~o.0.o~

_"Oh, this is ghastly! You call this a Beef Wellington? This is RAW!"_

Lucky and Johnny sat in the former's room, eating lunch as they watched Kitchen Nightmares.

"So... What? You watch this for the cooking? I didn't think you liked handling food," Johnny frowned.

"Nah. Mostly I just like watching Ramsay yell at people," Lucky smiled, taking a swig of whiskey.

"You really should ease up on that. No wonder you and Cass got along so well."

"Yeah, well- wait, you hear that?"

The two listened for a moment, indeed hearing a commotion from the hallway.

Lucky got up and walked over to the door, slowly opening it.

"THEY'RE ALIVE!" Veronica shouted as she ran past the door, "EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Lucky watched as she, Noah, and Miri ran past, a robotic bunny and a robotic bear in hot pursuit. A third animatronic, the chicken, stopped in front if the doorway, and stared at Lucky.

"...want some pizza?" It asked.

Lucky took a drink, and shut the door.

The chicken sighed, and knocked on the door.

~o.0.o~

The two animatronics finally cornered Miri, Veronica, and Noah into one of the bathroom's, causing them to back into the wall.

"Great- what now?" Noah groaned.

Veronica looked around the room.

"Oh. Duh."

Veronica turned on one of the nearby sinks, and with some effort managed to break off the faucet, causing a stream of water to burst out, drenching the animatronics- and causing them to short circuit. Veronica smiled, and turned the water off.

"Well, that was something," Noah muttered, "thanks for almost getting me killed."

"I'm sorry," Miri sighed, "I have no idea what went wrong!"

Priscylla, who was watching from the contro room, smiled.

"Oh, I might have an idea."

~o.0.o~

Back on deck, Julie was glaring at the angry mob that was forming around her boat.

"Okay. Someone better have a very good, very detailed explanation as to why this is happening."

"Revenge, that's why!" The leader of the horde shouted, "Revenge for what Milton-"

There was the sound of a revving engine, and out of nowhere Izzy came speeding down the road towards the crowd. Panicked, the mob dispersed, with the redhead and her two companions exiting the vehicle. Izzy flailed around a tire iron menacingly at the crowd. Although it on its own obviously wasn't a big deal, the crazed look in her eye caused everyone to back off.

"Diablo Rojo! Diablo Rojo!" One of the people shouted.

"These people know you?" Margo asked.

"Who knows? I mean, I get up to SOOO much stuff wen in not on this show, it's hard to keep track of. Someone WAS going to write a story about it, but-"

"Never mind that, get on the boat!" Justin shouted.

"Oh, right!"

The three hurried on to the deck, and Julie motioned to the captain to get going, the preparations quickly being made. Within minutes, the boat was pulling say from the dock.

"Than you for that, DJ," Julie nodded, "do you have my chocolate?"

DJ nodded, and handed her the bar of candy.

"Thank you. Now, if you could start putting that away, that would be great, thanks."

DJ let out a groan, and began wheeling the food away.

"Well, I'm not going to ask what happened, because frankly I don't need the stress," Julie shrugged, "so go relax and have lunch."

Everyone began to go their separate ways, with Deborah heaving a sigh and looking at Margo.

"Well, that was something."

"I know, right?" Izzy cheered, popping up between them, "I can't wait 'til the next shopping trip!"

At this, Deborah. Fainted.

"...huh," Izzy frowned, "what's HER problem?"

~o.0.o~

_"You AREN'T a chef! Get out of this kitchen!"_

Lucky, Johnny, and the chicken sat around the TV, slowly eating pizza.

"So... This is good pizza," Lucky commented.

"I know!" Chica, the robot said happily, "It's my favorite!"

Chica turnes, and went back to watching TV as Lucky and Johnny exchanged glances.

"...yeah, Lucky? I'm gonna be needin' a drink of that."

(A/N: finally, the first Off the Air. I'm sorry updating took so long, life has been pretty hectic for me. I had to go through getting used to my job, a trip to the hospital, and today I'm actually moving to a new place. It's been pretty damn stressful, but I'm glad I finally have this done, and I sorry if it wasn't quite up to expectations- I promise the next chapter will be better. I was originally planning on releasing this alongside episode five of the main story, but SOOOO much about the episode changed- and I'm not talking about reworking the episode so that the events of this were referenced. So many twists and turns are dropped, especially near the end, that I'm still planning it out. The next episode is almost all about the bad guys, so prepare to see your favorite heroes get repeatedly screwed over. Since this is taking so long, I'm actually going to make an offer I don't usually extend to the public. If you're interested, PM me, and I'll send you a sneak peak sometime today or tomorrow, depending on when I'm available.

Anyway, most of the references this epiaode, especially the animatronics should be rather obvious. I definitely think it got a little wacky and over the top at times, especially with Sonic Boom, but is like to point out that Cody was literally mugged by a bear in season two- so if this is where you draw your lines, I don't know what to tell you.

Anyway, hope you all had a good read- I'll update as soon as I'm settled in, and feel free to take me up on my offer!)


	2. Gravity

_To take place after Sunset Cruise Episode Nine: Never Quite Free Part 2_

~o.0.o~

Julie heaved a sigh as she stood on the beach, examining the ship. It had been one day since the one hundredth episode special, and they still had yet to disembark. The reason for this was simple- in the chaos that had occurred the day prior, the ship had been damaged. The power generators were no longer working, leaving the contestants without electricity, and there was also some minor damage done to the hull. It was still possible to set sail, sure, but Julie knew it would be best to get everything taken care of. Of course, it was still early in the morning- if she worked fast, repairs could begin by the afternoon. She pulled out her phone with a slight smile, eager to finally be out on the water again. She searched for repair men in the nearby area. Predictably, most services were much too expensive- but after a few minutes she happened upon an interesting add: "Fixin' it with Soos"!

~o.0.o~

Lucky was in his room, holding an ice pack to his head. He had stayed up the entire night, afraid that his injury had left him with some form of concussion or brain damage- although he supposed it wouldn't really matter now, given that he had already been unconcious. He wasn't doing anything particularly special now that the power was out- Veronica had pretty much gone straight to her room, ignoring everyone, Julie wasn't around to tease, and Johnny was... well, off being Johnny. He didn't have many other friends still left on the cruise, and hanging out with Miri would just lead to more awkwardness, and him asking anyone else on his team for company... well, it was highly unlikely anything good would come of it. After a while, he was began to get up, with the intention of going for a walk or getting something to eat, when there was a knock at his door. He turned, slowly pulling on his jacket.

"Who's there?" He yawned.

There was no response.

He frowned, walking over and pulling the door open- surprised to see Julie there.

"Uh, Julie, hey!" He chuckled nervously. "What, um, what are you doing here?"

"Good morning to you too, Lucky," she said, raising an eyebrow, "I was hoping you could run an errand for me. You know how I've been trying to get the boat repaired? Well, I called a mechanic, but they're having car troubles... I was hoping you could take a bus out there, see if he needs any help, and then bring him back here."

"...you honestly don't think he can manage it himself?"

Julie sighed, rubbing her temples before saying, "I honestly don't know. I've heard... let's say mixed things about him. But he's really the only person we can afford right now. If I throw a few bucks your way for the bus fare, can I count on you to get it done?"

Lucky nodded.

"Yeah- yeah, I think I can handle it."

"Good," Julie smiled, "go get ready, and meet me on deck in about forty minutes."

~o.0.o~

Forty minutes came and went, and Lucky was on the deck of the ship, talking with Julie.

"Okay- and this should cover it," she told him, handing him some money, "with a little extra in case you want to get something to eat."

"A little extra? This is a lot more than one person needs to get lunch," Lucky commented, raising an eyebrow.

"One person?" Julie smirked, "You didn't really think I'd let you go unsupervised, did you?"

Before Lucky could answer, Ella twirled into view, a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"I'mmmmmm ready!" She smiled.

Deborah cleared her throat, walking up to the three.

"Alright, I think I've got everything."

"...you have to be kidding me," Lucky sighed.

"Nope- have fun, kids," Julie smirked, before turning and walking away.

Lucky watched her go, his eye twitching.

"Oh, this will be wonderful!" Ella sighed happily, "Three friends traveling the land together!"

"Yeah," Lucky sighed, "wonderful."

"The bus leaves in twenty minutes," Deborah reminded him, "we should leave now."

Lucky cast one last glance at the boat, before nodding.

"Alright- let's go."

~o.0.o~

Near an hour later, Deborah and Lucky sat on the bus, miserable, as Ella sat between them, singing a non-stop barrage of traveling songs.

"_Take a look at us-_

_Just riding on a bus!_

_We're on our way_

_To save the day!_

_So please, don't make a fuss_!"

Ella looked around expectantly, but neither of her companions said anything.

"Oh... neither of you seem very happy," Ella said, concerned, "Hmm... I know! Another song will lift your spirits. Ahem!"

The bus screeched to a halt, and Lucky bolted to his feet.

"Oh, hey, we stopped- time to go!"

"But my song-"

Lucky had already darted off of the bus. Deborah gathered her things before following after, a disappointed Ella not far behind. They were on a long stretch of road leading to a town- and in front of them was a sign:

Welcome to Gravity Falls!

"What a peculiar name," Ella frowned, eyeing up the sign.

"Looks like we made it alright, though," said Deborah, stepping forward. The girl pulled out a sheet of paper, showing it off proudly. "I took the liberty of writing up a schedule for us. We follow this, and we should be back just in time for-"

Lucky began to wander off.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Deborah called.

"To get something to eat."

"But the schedule- oh, fine."

The two girls followed him into a cafe, taking a seat at one of the booths. Ella smiled, humming to herself as the other two examined this menu.

"So this... 'Coffee Omelet'. Is it an omelet with coffee, or... what?" Deborah frowned.

"...I'm just gonna have the pancakes," Lucky shrugged.

Soon enough their table was approached by an elderly woman with a lazy eye.

"Hi, welcome to Greasy's! What can I get you?"

"Hey there- Susan," Deborah started, reading the woman's name tag, "I'll have the coffee omelet, he'll have the pancakes, and Ella-"

"Oh, I'm okay, I'll just have some water!" She said, smiling sweetly.

Susan nodded, writing it down.

"Coming right up!" She told them, before wandering off.

Lucky sighed contently, leaning back in his seat.

"It's nice to be off of that boat for a change, huh?"

"I suppose- we really should focus on finding our mechanic, though," Deborah frowned.

"Oh, relax. We can take half an hour," he yawned, "besides, Julie told us it was fine."

Deborah nodded, but still looked uncertain. After a while, their food was finally brought out. Lucky received his plate of pancakes, while Deborah recieved a muddy brown omelet she eyed with great concern.

"...is it supposed to be this color?" She gulped.

In response, Susan laughed.

"Oh, that's just the secret ingredient, silly! Enjoy your food!"

The waitress walked off, leaving them to it. Deborah stared at her meal for a while, before hesitantly cutting off a piece and putig it in her mouth. She chewed it for a second, before her face contorted into a look of disgust, and she hopped out of her seat, bolting out of the diner. Moments later, she could be heard vomiting outside.

"...Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all," Lucky muttered.

~o.0.o~

Meanwhile, a few states over, the eliminated competitors had just sat down to eat lunch in the building Milton had them staying in. It was just across from where Milton's Minute was shot, and was furnished lavishly- except, of course, in the rooms the eliminated contestants were staying. Duncan, Noah, Lance, Courtney and Vevo were all sat at a large table, chatting.

"That spot back in the game was mine!" Vevo huffed, "You ruined everything, Courtney!"

"I wouldn't have had to if you weren't being so... vicious!" She shot back.

"That's how you get things done," Vevo growled, "you need to be vicious to survive in this kind of-"

"Man, will you just give it a rest already?" Lance snapped, "besides, not like they were going to let someone back on the show to begin with. I mean, I bet-"

Lance trailed off when he saw Gwen pass by the table.

"And speaking of vicious," Vevo smirked, "there goes the most manipulative contestant in this show's history."

"You're one to talk," Gwen frowned. Of course, she said this with no degree of confidence, opting to avoid any eye contact.

"Exactly. What's that saying? Evil recognizes evil," Duncan scowled.

"I'm not evil! I just... told a fib, that's all!" Gwen insisted.

"Riiiight. Just a small, white lie that happened to manipulate the hearts and minds of fans and competitors alike," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, you know what?" Gwen snapped, "I don't need to justify anything to you guys!"

"Just to Cody, right?" Vevo smirked, "Good luck with that."

Gwen opened her mouth to respond, but sighed, shaking her head and walking off. Soon enough, she was outside Cody's room. She took a deep breath, before giving a hesitant knock. It was a few minutes before a response came.

"What."

"Uh, hey Cody," Gwen said, clearing her throat, "it's... it's me. Can I-"

"No."

"But I-"

"Don't care."

Gwen frowned, pushing the door open anyway. Inside, Cody was sitting on his bed, watching a movie.

"Look, can we please just talk?" Gwen pleaded, "You haven't spoken to me in days.."

"Oh, I wonder why that is!" He snapped, turning to face her, "You lied to me, Gwen! You lied to all of us- you should have at least come clean after the season was over, but you didn't even have the courtesy to do that!"

"Look, it was really messed up, alright? I admit that-"

"Oh, you admit it. Guess that makes it okay, then!"

Gwen was a bit taken aback, but still pressed on.

"Look, I'm so, so sorry. I would have told you eventually... honest."

Cody did not respond.

"Uh... look. Why don't we go get that new Batman game for you to pla-"

"Already have it."

"Oh, right." Gwen gulped, eyes shifting around uncomfortably.

"Look, just... go!" Cody snapped, "We're through- or, at least on a long, long break!"

"I..." Gwen sighed, nodding. "I understand."

She turned, heading for the door, before pausing and turning back to him.

"...I really am sorry," she muttered, before heading back outside. Once she was in the hallway, she hung her head, turning to leave, only for Milton to suddenly come up behind her, slinging an arm over her shoulders.

"Smile!" He told her, as a camera crew rushed out and began snapping photos of them. After a while, he chuckled, releasing Gwen and waving the camera men away.

"What was that all about?" She frowned, watching them leave.

"Oh, just getting a few promotional shots for my new show 'Celebrity Scumbags'," Milton grinned, "see, we're taking ten of the worst examples of humanity we could find, cramming them into one house, and making them live together, having them vote each other off once every four days! It'll be great! We'll have you, maybe that Winston kid, Chr-"

"And you think I'm going to agree to that?" Gwen demanded, "There's no way I'd sign up for that!"

"Only... you don't have to. Contracts, remember?" Milton chuckled, clapping his hands. A man in a suit came over, handing him a legal pamphlet, which he in turn gave to Gwen. The girl took it, frowning, and beginning to thumb through it.

"Quite wordy, but the long and short of it is that- well, I own you! And if I say you're going to do this show... you do this show."

"I... you son of a bitch," Gwen muttered, still frantically flipping through the packet.

"I'd be more careful- that's my mother you're talking about," Milton scowled, "don't forget, Gwen. I'm the king, and TV is my kingdom. You can go along with all of this willingly, follow my plans and maybe someday redeem yourself and become something- or, you become the most hated figure in North America anyway. The choice is yours... Gwenny."

He smirked, before turning and strolling off, whistling to himself as Gwen watched in stunned silence.

~o.0.o~

Deborah groaned, leaning against a wall as she wiped her mouth.

"Goodness! Are you alright?" Ella asked.

"Fine," she muttered, "I knew we should have kept on schedule!"

"Alright, alright!" Lucky sighed, "I said I was sorry!"

"It's fine, let's just.. ugh. Let's just go back to finding our mechanic, alright?"

"Alright, alright," Lucky nodded, "let's get going."

As they made their way down the street, Ella suddenly paused, and began bobbing her head along to music the others couldn't quite hear.

"Uh, Ella?" Deborah frowned, "Everything alright?"

"Of course! It's just such lovely music!" The girl beamed.

Deborah and Lucky glanced at each other, before listening intently.

"I don't hear anything," Deborah shrugged, "you sure you're- hey, where are you going?!"

Ella hummed as she twirled away towards the outskirts of town, singing to herself.

"_Disco girl- coming through! That girl is you_!"

Deborah and Lucky watched in stunned silence as Ella disappeared into the woods.

"...what just happened?" Lucky blinked.

"I don't know- but we better go after her."

The two quickly followed Ella's trail- as they got closer to the woods, they began to hear a faint, familiar pop beat.

"_Disco girl! Coming through! That girl is you! Oooh oooh oooh! Oooh oooh oooh_!"

Lucky and Deborah finally reached a clearing in the woods, their jaws both dropping. There, as the song came out of a nearby radio, Ella danced with a colossal bear- a bear with multiple heads.

"What the HELL is that?" Lucky exclaimed.

Ella and the bear both froze. The beast turned to them, revealing it's full form- six heads, four arms, and four legs. It let out a roar- several of them- before turning and bounding off into the wilderness.

"Aww," Ella pouted, "you scared him off!"

"That bear had six heads- WHY DID IT HAVE SIX HEADS?" Deborah exclaimed.

"Because he was born that way, silly!" Ella chuckled.

"Are you serious? How can you be so calm about this?" Deborah demanded.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Lucky, who seemed a bit freaked himself told her, "it's... it's probably some kind of joke, right? Send us out here, scare us for a few funny reactions, and put it on TV."

"I don't know- that looked REALLY real," Deborah stammered.

"That's because he is real!" Ella giggled.

This only served to make Deborah more nervous, so Lucky shook his head and stepped in.

"It wasn't real," he told both of them, "watch. Once we get back to the boat, we'll find the business dick there laughing his head off. But for now, we have a job to do, so let's calm down and do it."

"...well... alright," Deborah sighed.

Lucky nodded, heading back towards town, the two girls following behind. Unbeknownst to them, however, a figure in red robes emerged from the trees, staring at them for a while before disappearing back into the woods.

Back in town, Deborah let out a frustrated groan as she examined her watch.

"I knew we should have just kept to the schedule," she muttered.

"Will you relax?" Lucky frowned, "look, we'll head there now. Ella, you have the address, right?"

"What address?"

"You know, the one Julie gve us before we left?"

"Oh! Right!" She smiled, "I dropped it!"

"...what."

"Sorry," she chuckled, "I think I lost it near the diner."

"Ella, just..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why. Just... just why."

"That's okay, we can just go back and find it!" she assured him. Without missing a beat, she turned, and began skipping towards the diner.

Deborah scowled at Lucky.

"We should have just-"

"I KNOW, DEBORAH."

Eventually they arrived back at the diner, where Ella was already searching around.

"Oh, it's around here somewhere, I just know it!" She beamed.

Ella walked around a bit, before heading into an alley- where a figure with a red cloak appeared behind her.

"What the..." Deborah blinked.

Ella suddenly let out a squeal, leaning down and picking up a piece of paper.

"Found iiiiiiiAHHHHHHH!" She gave a startled scream as she was grabbed from behind by the figure, a bag thrown over her head. Before Lucky and Deborah could react, they had the same fate befall them.

A tall, bony figure walked up to the two, chuckling.

"You've happened upon a terrible fate," he said, "but don't worry... tomorrow, this will be but a bad dream."

~o.0.o~

Back by the ship, Tyler and DJ were on the beach, throwing a frisbee back and forth. Tyler threw the frisbee overhead, DJ jumping up to catch it, but just barely missing.

"WOO!" Tyler cheered, "SCORE!"

"Man, there's no score in frisbee," DJ frowned, walking over to where it had landed. As soon as he did, however, another, smaller boat suddenly breezed by, completely soaking him in water.

"Hey man, what the-" he spluttered, holding his arms up in defense.

The boat soon came to a halt just in front of their own ship, revealing three figures- and older man and woman, and a younge blonde girl that was around twelve or so.

"Engine trouble?" The girl smirked.

"A pleasure to meet you," the man smiled, "I'm PrestonNorthwest of the Northwest family. This is my daughter, Pacifica, and my wife... um... my wife."

Tyler and DJ exchanged looks.

"Well, judging by your vessel I'd say your with that Camp TV show everyone is talking about," Preston chuckled, "I'd like to get my darling daughter on the show, if it's not too much trouble."

"Hey, look, man," DJ started, "I mean, I'm just an intern, but I don't think that's how it-"

"Nonsense, of course it is! If I could just speak with your boss, I'm sure we could work something out."

Minutes later, DJ sighed as he knocked on Julie's door.

"YEAH, FUCK HIM UP, ROLLINS-... who is it?"

"Uh, DJ."

"Heh, sorry... come in."

DJ opened the door as Julie put her phone away.

"...were you watching professional wrestling on that thing?" He asked.

"...no. Maybe. What do you need?"

"Uh, there's this guy outside. He wants to get his daughter on the show, and he isn't leaving."

"Oh geez," Julie sighed, "alright, I'll handle this."

~o.0.o~

_"We've been taken by a scary cult,_

_out the door we'd like to bolt,_

_instead we fear_

_we're trapped in here!_

_It gave us quite a jolt!"_

Ella finished her song, looking around proudly. She was in a chair, her hands tied down, with Deborah and Lucky on either side of her, in the same set up.

"Ella," Deborah scowled, "this is really NOT the time."

"Sorry! Would you rather I do an escape song?"

Before either of her companions could snark back, three of the cultists walked forward, removing their hoods. One was a smaller, ugly man with an odd mustache and a reporter hat, one was a larger, pudgy man, and the third was a gaunt, boney figure with tatoos covering his head.

"I trust you're comfortable?" The boney man asked, "I, am Blind Ivan. And you three shouldn't be here."

"No kidding! if you don't let us go-" lucky started.

"Oh, we'll let you free," Ivan nodded, "but not until after we've cleared your mind of what you've seen."

"Clear our... minds?" Deborah frowned.

Ivan smiled, withdrawing a peculiar looking object which could only be described as a "lightbulb gun".

"Gravity Falls is a strange place," he explained, "full of oddities and creatures. The Society of the Blind Eye seeks to help citizens forget what they don't want to remember. And outsiders like yourself? We can't let you leave and spread word of the the secrets here."

"...are we still going with the 'this is all a joke theory?'" Deborah asked.

"I have no goddamn idea," Lucky sighed.

"Oh, I assure you this is no joke," Ivan smiled, "it's for your own good."

He pressed the device up against Lucky's head, pulling the trigger. He gave a jolt, the gun lighting up, before suddenly looking around, confused.

"Uh... what's going on? Is this a challenge or something?"

"Good, good," Ivan nodded, "now you're turn."

He pressed the device against Deborah's skull, repeating the process. When he was done, she looked at him, then at her bindings.

"What's going on here? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Yes. Yes it is. And now, finally..."

Before he could do the same to Ella, an alarm went off.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ivan scowled.

A man ran into the room, bowing before saying, "Ivan, sir, we have intruders!"

"Wonderful," he sighed, "you three stay put. I must deal with this."

He turned, storming off, the three others following behind.

"...what do we do now?" Deborah frowned, "Is this... where are we?" She struggled with her bindings. "Why can't I get out?"

"Oh, sorry. Allow me!" Ella slipped out of her chair, undoing the straps over Deborah's wrists, before turning and working on Lucky's.

"Hey- wait a minute. Why weren't you locked in?" He asked.

"Oh, he was so busy monologuing, he forgot to lock me in!" Ella giggled, "Now come, we must away!"

She turned, singing as she ran down a nearby hallway.

_"We make our daring escape,_

_for we've a show to tape!_

_We need to fix this boat-_

_but let's not gloat!_

_I'd really like a cape!"_

"That last one was kind of forced," Lucky commented.

After half an hour of running, the trio finally came to the exit.

"There, light!" Deborah pointed out, "Up ahead!"

The three practically dove outside, with Ella leading them behind some trees as a few of the Blind Eye ran past.

"What... was that...?" Deborah panted.

Ella frowned, thinking it over. Her first instinct was to tell them the truth- but was that really the best?

"That was, um... a mini challenge!" Ella decided, nodding her head, "Julie wanted us to test out a challenge, too while we were out here!"

"...you sure?" Deborah frowned, "Because that didn't seem like..."

"Oh, I'm sure," Ella said nervously, "anyway, we have to go- we simply must meet our mechanic now!"

"Mechanic... right," Lucky nodded, "I vaguely remember something about that."

"Then come," Ella told them, "let's find our repair man!"

~o.0.o~

"Mr. Northwest, I keep telling you that isn't how it works," Julie sighed.

Julie had been on the beach, flanked by DJ and Tyler, talking to Preston for nearing an hour now. Despite her constant refusals to allow Pacifica on the show, he was determined not to take no for an answer.

"She's too young to be a contestant OR an intern."

"Nonsense!" Preston scoffed, "What about that... that Tweek boy!"

"...we don't really talk about him anymore," Julie shrugged, "but those were different circumstances."

"Haha, hey dudes!"

The conversation was interrupted when Ella, Lucky and Deborah emerged from the woods, followed by a large , chubby man with a question mark on his shirt and a hat on his head.

"Ugh, great. This loser," Pacifica scoffed, "let's just go, alright?"

"Fine. But this isn't over!" Preston threatened, "Your boss will be hearing from me!"

"I'm sure he will," Julie smirked as the family got back on their boat, sailing off. She turned, facing the newcomers. "You must be Soos- nice work, you three!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go lay down and think about where six hours of my life went," Lucky sighed , heading on board. Deborah gave a shrug and followed, with Ella humming and twirling after them.

"Sometimes I wonder about that girl," Julie said, raising an eyebrow.

"So, uh, you need your boat fixed?" Soos asked, "I can TOTALLY take care of that for ya, dude, but first I'm gonna need a wrench and two bags of Burrito Bites."

"Uh, sure thing."

Soos looked around, before gently pushing the ship.

"Haha, don't rock the boat, dudes!"

~o.0.o~

After about an hour passed, Ella was sitting at a table with the rest of her team, eating dinner.

"So how'd your trip go?" Miri asked.

"Oh, it was lovely!" Ella smiled, "I'd very much like to visit there again!"

A voice suddenly began talking over the intercom.

"Hey dudes, fixed your boat! You'll be sailing any minute- Soos out!"

"Oh, looks like we're leaving," Justin sighed, "it's about damn time."

"Still... are you sure that was a mini challenge?" Deborah asked, "And why can't Lucky or I remember anything?"

"Umm... why don't you take a look at this souvenir I brought home!" Before anyone could say anything else, Ella held up a small, bearded gnome.

"Shmebulock!"

(16-5-14-5-12-15-16-5 10-5-19-19

1-14-4 3-12-1-25

13-9-12-20-15-14 8-9-4-5-18

20-8-4-9-18 19-4-3-18-5-20

20-15 20-8-9-19 4-1-15

/0\\)


	3. Mistakes

"Do you know, Gwen, what I love most about the holidays?"

Gwen sighed deeply, shaking her head no. She sat in front of Milton's huge, stained brown desk that sat atop what was no doubt a ridiculously priced carpet. His office was surprisingly rather simple- the desk being the only thing in it, aside from a (comparatively) modestly sized television, and the Christmas tree Milton now stood in front of, a smile on his face as he decorated.

"Well, I can't see you," Milton said as he hung an ornament, "so I'll just assume you shook your head. What I love most is this- decorating."

Gwen was a bit surprised. "That's not what I thought you'd say."

"And what DID you think I would say, hm?"

"Christmas specials," she frowned, leaning back, "since, you know, you'd make money off of airing them."

"No, no." Milton still did not turn to look at her. "I'm not all about money. And people have always said I have a flair for decoration."

Gwen couldn't argue- so far the tree was immaculate. But she definitely wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of saying so.

"There a reason you brought me here?" She had meant to sound annoyed, but her tone came out more nervous than anything else.

"Of course there is," he scoffed, "I didn't bring you here to talk about boys or trade fashion tips, your taste in both being quite horrific. I'm giving you a choice."

He stepped back from the tree, smiling proudly and nodding, before heading over to his desk and opening a drawer. He pulled out two small stacks of paper, placing each on the table in front of her.

"I want you to be on Celebrity Scumbags. You don't want to be on Celebrity Scumbags. So I'm giving you a choice."

"A... choice?"

"Yes, an easy out," he nodded, "the contract on your left is for the first season of Celebrity blah blah blah, CS. The contract on your right, however, is well... much less formal, and under the table."

Gwen looked at him suspiciously, before snatching the right contract and beginning to read it. As she did, she began to grow angrier and angrier.

"So basically, you either want me to sign up for one of your other stupid shows and be known as a dirtbag, or ruin any remaining friendships I have and be known as a dirtbag anyway." She angrily threw the papers down, glaring at him.

"Hm... blunt. But now how I would have put it," Milton commented.

"And how WOULD you have put it?"

"As providing entertainment to the masses," he told her, pouring himself a cup of coffee, allowing himself a slight small. It was enough to send Gwen over the edge. The girl stood up, and began storming toward the door.

"You're only delaying the inevitable," Milton called after her, "the contract you're in now... you have to choose between one eventually."

Gwen didn't acknowledge him. She walked out of the door, slamming it behind her. Milton smiled, watching her go. Then he put on a Christmas special.

~o.0.o~

Somewhere off the Canadian coast, the Christmas party was just winding to a close for the contestants of Sunset Cruise. Although Katie, Ella and Alejandro had already gone to bed, the others were up and about on the ship, chatting, eating, or using their new presents. In the dining area, Tyler sat next to Margo, the two having struck up a conversation after Deborah left to pursue Johnny, and Veronica and Miri went off to mess around with the latter's new chemistry set.

"I have to say, you've been on fire lately," Margo complimented Tyler, "you did really good work today!"

"Thanks!" Tyler smiled proudly, lifting his arms up and flexing. "I'm making it all the way to the finals this year! No offense to anyone who wants to make it there, too!"

"You mean everybody?" She chuckled, "And no offense taken. The way you've been going you have a decent shot at it, too."

"Hey, so do you! You're all smart and stuff!"

"I appreciate that, but... I dunno," Margo admitted, "all that stuff that happened with Mark has me thinking..."

"About what?"

"All that stuff with Mark. Who was really behind everything?"

"Oh. Uh... I dunno." The smile faded from Tyler's face. "I try not to get into that sort of stuff."

"Believe me, I know," Margo nodded, "Deborah's the same, and I can't blame her. But I can't leave this alone. I mean, sure, he left that wig, but I can't just-"

"Oh, the wig?" Tyler scratched his chin. "Yeah, you know, it's funny, because I could have sworn I saw him eating around the time you found it. Weird, huh?"

"...wait, could you say that again?" she asked.

"I said, it's weird, because he was eating at the same time that all happened," Tyler repeated.

"Then that confirms it," she frowned.

"Confirms what?"

"That box, the note... it wasn't from Mark!" she exclaimed, "Whoever kidnapped point in the first place must have tried to spark a big confrontation, to get us both kicked off- and it worked, at least for Mark!"

"Woah... you think so? That's some crazy stuff," Tyler said, shaking his head.

"It has to be!" She nodded, "They're tying up loose ends- with Mark gone, there's no one left to get revenge, and with me gone no one else would look into it!"

"Woah," he frowned, "what are you gonna do?"

"Figure it out... somehow." She sighed, leaning forward. "I only have one place to start- the note. Maybe the way it's written can give me some sort of clue..."

"Oh, hey! What if you could find a way to see other people's handwriting?" Tyler suggested, "That way, you can compare their handwriting to the note!"

"That's not a bad idea!" Margo agreed, before pausing and moving a hand to her chin. "But how do I get people to go along with it..."

~o.0.o~

As Margo thought over the plan, Veronica fiddled with her DS as Miri arranged her new chemistry set. They were in the latter's room, silent except for the occasional pop or giggle to come from Veronica's game. Miri sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Are you playing that dating sim again?" she asked.

"Whaaat? No!" Veronica chuckled nervously, setting her game aside, "I mean, yeah, but only for the puzzles!"

"What do puzzles have to do with dating cutesy anime girls?" Miri frowned, turning away from her chemistry set.

"Well, I mean, it's really more of a puzzle game that just happens to have cutesy anime- anyway how's your science set?"

Miri rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly as Veronica made her way over.

"I have to admit its pretty impressive. The equipment is better than what you'd find in a highschool laboratory. Didn't come with many chemicals, though. I'll have to wait to get home before I can really use it."

"Well, there's other cool stuff here, I'm sure you can... ugh, is that sulfur?"

"Yep!" Miri lifted up a small container. "Have some samples right here."

"Oh man, that stuff smells. Can we hide some in Quinn's room?"

"What? No!...maybe."

"I'll take that as a yes," Veronica smirked, sitting back down and picking up her game.

Miri glanced over, shaking her head. "You know, I will never understand why you're so fond of that."

"What? Games?"

"No, just that one in particular."

"Like I said, I play it for the-" Veronica started, but sighed and shook her head when Miri shot her a look.

"Okay, okay... I dunno, I just always sort of liked these things since I started high school," she admitted, "in case you haven't noticed I'm not really the best at, you know, talking to girls. I wasn't really great at talking to people in general for a while- hence this."

"What do you mean? You're plenty friendly!"

"Well, I wasn't always," Veronica told her, "I mean, back when I was a kid things were fine, but high school was different. Things started okay at first, but after a while... well, I sorta fell for a girl on the cheer squad."

"Oh... what happened?" Miri asked curiously.

"Things went okay, believe it or not- I didn't tell her, but we became pretty good friends. I mean, I wasn't in with the whole preppy crowd or anything, but neither was she- she was a lot more shy than the others. We got along great."

"So... what happened?"

"Uber-bitch Sandy Carter happened," Veronica huffed, "she was the head cheerleader. Reminds me a lot of Quinn, come to think of it. She found out and made me look horrible- enter a few years of being a creepy introvert and you get the picture."

"Oh. I'm really sorry all that happened," Miri told her.

"Meh. Don't be," Veronica shrugged, "I got over it."

"I guess you did," Miri smiled, "besides, you're too cute to be an introvert!"

"Uuuugh. Why are you so much better than me at this flirting thing?" Veronica giggled.

"I guess you could say I have it down to a science!" Miri joked. After an awkward silence, she cleared her throat and asked, "Want to put that Sulfur in Quinn's room now?"

"That would be amazing."

~o.0.o~

Lucky sighed in relief as he took a seat on deck, empty except for two others loitering near the stern. He paid them no mind, opting instead to lean back and glance out at the ocean. If he won the money, he decided he'd go on another cruise. One with gambling, drinks and relaxation instead of challenges, drama, and crazy people. He yawned, turning his head slightly to see a familiar face standing nearby, a hand on her hip.

"Spot any sea monsters?" Sunny asked, a faint smile on her lips.

Lucky glanced over at her, chuckling and shaking his head.

"No, but the night's still young. What're you doin' here?"

"Couldn't leave without saying hi, could I?" She smiled, sitting across from him.

"Oh- heading out?"

"No, no- I disembark tomorrow morning," she explained, "take a bus to the city, then a plane back home, then a limo to a show..."

"Looks like you made it," he smiled, "nice hair, by the way."

"Heh, thanks- but I think I look better as a blonde." She leaned back in her seat, rolling her shoulders and letting out a sigh of relief. "All a bit stressful, tell the truth... tell you what, why don't you crack open that new poker set, and we can catch up over cards?

"Yeah, sounds great," he agreed.

A short time later, the two were midway through a poker game, Sunny beginning to accumulate a rather large stack of chips.

"Oh, come on," she sighed, "it's no fun if you just LET me win."

"What?" He glanced up from his cards, frowning. "I'm not-"

"Come on. I know you," she scolded, "Start playing for real, Lucky."

"Alright, alright," he agreed, amused, "I raise."

"I'll see that." She pushed a few chips forward. "So, Miri and Veronica... they're cute together. Your doing?"

"No, not really. I gave Veronica a bit of a nudge here and there, but that's it." He dealt the next two cards, tossing a few chips on to the table, Sunny following suit.

"Well, nudge or not, it certainly worked... but I've caught up with them. What have you been doing?" She asked.

"You're looking at it," he told her, flipping over his cards. "Three of a kind."

"Damn it," she huffed, throwing her cards down, "junk. And I meant BEFORE this."

"Ah, come on. That's not too interesting." Lucky pulled in his pot, taking a moment to shuffle the cards before dealing again.

"Well, I'm asking anyway. Can't be more boring than the ride out here," she smiled.

"Well," he said, beginning to deal again, "got my own place, and a job at a karaoke joint. Setting up equipment, that kinda thing."

"Roadie, eh? Well, my tour could use a few more hands, if you're interested," she offered, collecting her cards. She was silent, before signing and continuing. "Listen... I wanted to talk to you about what happened on the island. With, you know, us."

Lucky didn't look up as he continued to deal. "Don't worry about it. All in the past."

"No, really. I just need to say I'm sorry."

He looked up, their eyes meeting for the briefest of instances before he casually looked back at the cards.

"Don't worry about it. We've moved past it, right?"

"I know that," she frowned, "I guess... what I'm looking for is for you to tell me that we're good. That we're still friends."

"Still friends?" Lucky looked up at her, waiting a moment, before smiling."yeah. We're still friends."

Sunny smiled back, nodding.

"Good, I'm glad... now deal that hand. I'm winning that pot back."

~o.0.o~

When Deborah finally found him, Johnny was sitting at the counter in the clubhouse, eyes closed as he rubbed his temples.

"Hey- took me forever to find you," she frowned, stepping in, "what made you run off like that?"

Johnny opened his eyes, sighing.

"Sorry- needed some air."

"Is everything alright?" She asked, sitting next to him, "I mean, you read that letter, and..."

He shook his head, sighing.

"That... you don't need to worry about it. I'll be fine."

"You sure? I mean... you looked pretty bothered. If you need to talk..."

Johnny sat there, silently debating, before sliding the letter over to her. She picked it up, silently beginning to read as he explained things.

"I think I've told you about my family before, right?"

"Right- two sisters, Cass and Ruby."

"Well, Cass ran off," he muttered, "apparently she saw fit to just leave Ruby and just run off to join up with another one of that snake's shows."

"She just... left your sister alone?" Deborah asked.

Johnny nodded. "Ruby... she's strong, but without being able to walk... she can't do everything by herself."

"..." Deborah silently continued reading. "Ruby seems fine with it, at least in this letter."

"I know she is," Johnny frowned, "Ruby supports us no matter what- but Cass should know better. Running off just 'cause she has something to prove..."

"Well... I'm not saying running off was the right thing for her to do," Deborah began, "but if Ruby is okay with it, maybe it's for the better."

Johnny looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, just hear me out. I mean, maybe Cass just needs to go on an adventure like you did. And what if Ruby wants to try and do things on her own?" She slid the letter back over to him. "I'm not saying you're in the wrong here, at all. But maybe things'll work out like this... I don't know. I'm not the best at this sort of stuff. I was never close with my family."

"Yeah... sometimes I feel the same way about Cass," he admitted, "that why you signed up? To get a break?"

She cracked a slight smile, shaking her head.

"No- I didn't actually sign up myself. My co-workers at the coffee shop did it for me. I wanted to kill them at first... but things turned out alright. I mean, a lot of the people here are crazy, like Priscylla, but I've made friends and gotten to see a lot. Maybe that's what Cass needs?"

"...yeah. Maybe." He frowned, thinking. "Thanks... for the talk."

"Anytime," Deborah smiled.

"So..." Johnny started, awkwardly, "you want to go grab something to eat from the kitchen?"

"Yeah... that'd be great," she smiled.

Johnny smiled back, standing up and straightening his hat. The two walked out of the clubhouse- in time to see Veronica and Miri scamper out of Quinn's room, giggling.

"...what is that about?" Deborah blinked.

"Best we don't question it, I think," Johnny told her, before the two headed topside.

~o.0.o~

Bridgette kissed Justin... and then Alejandro eliminated her? Luna thought about this as she stood at the stern of the ship, looking out at the ocean. It didn't seem like them- either of them. They may have had bad reputations before the cruise, but Luna truly believed the both of them to have reformed their ways. So how could this have happened? Some misunderstanding blown out of proportion? Or did Bridgette actually go through with it? It was a troubling thought to say the least.

Luna gave a slight jump as she heard footsteps behind her. She glanced over to see a figure ascend the stairs from the inside of the ship, before slowly making their way over, stopping not far from Luna and leaning on the rail. Justin. The one, who- while maybe not the cause of the controversy- was nonetheless a huge part of it. He stood there, silently, staring out at the ocean, and for a moment Luna forgot the rumors and troubles that surrounded him currently.

"Are... you okay?" She called out, in a concerned tone.

Justin grunted in response.

"Um... okay. Well, if you need anything..." She continued, uncertaintly.

"Hmph. Trust me, you couldn't help," he muttered, not turning to look at her.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try," Luna told him.

Justin sighed, shaking his head slowly.

"Let me ask you something," he mumbled, "have you ever done something you're ashamed of, but you're so far in you have no choice but to keep going?"

Luna frowned, shaking her head.

"No? Didn't think so. See, sometimes, a mistake turns into another mistake turns into a bigger mistake." Justin scowled, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "It's not like a movie. You can't just say, 'oh, that was a bad take, let's redo that'. You can't reload a save like a game. You can either go back or forward, that's it. But I don't like to live in the past, so I go forward. If you can't change it, you embrace it, right? Right."

"Um, I didn't say..."

"Exactly." Justin gripped the railing. "Sometimes you have to just... accept things."

"Did you kiss Bridgette?" Luna blurted out.

"...what?" Justin scowled, sounding offended, "No! What does she have to do with anything?"

"She doesn't... I just thought..."

"No. I'm done with her," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh... okay," Luna nodded, although she wasn't sure she believed him.

The two stood there silently, awkwardly, but Justin asked, "So, if you want to try and 'help', answer me something. Do you think it's ever too late to make up for your mistakes? Or is there a point of no return?"

"I thought you said to embrace things," Luna frowned.

"And now I'm wondering what you think."

Luna thought a while, before slowly nodding.

"Maybe you can't make up for all of your mistakes.. but you can try, and that has to count for something, right?"

"...maybe." He turned, and began walking away. He paused at the stairs, before muttering, "thanks", and disappearing below.

Luna watched him leave, thinking to herself, before reluctantly turning and heading to her own room. Answers, it seemed, had evaded her. For tonight, at least.

~o.0.o~

She threw it away. That was she had told Justin, anyway.

Ella held the Revenge Idol firmly as she stared at it, thinking silently. She wasn't sure what made her lie- she hated lying, and she HAD intended to throw the idol away originally anyway. For whatever reason, she just... held on to it. In case she ever needed to use it.

She sighed, standing up and putting it on her dresser. The time had come to use it, alright. As for who it would be used on... Ella had an idea.

(A/N: hey, sorry I'm late! Not... one hundred percent happy with how this turned out. Several of the segments were about to be cut altogether, before being written back in. On the bright side, the delay has bought me enough time to figure out how I'm going to write myself out of several holes in CTV, which should be updated soon. As for the future of OTA, there will be ONE more episode, working title "Hostess". That's right, the next chapter will be all about the snack and cake company! Oh... bad joke. Bad joke.

Anyway, I hate to leave you guys on yet another cliffhanger- but the next two episodes of Camp TV will change the landscape of the series. So will the next two episodes of Reality Rush, come to think of it. Point is, big things are coming!)


End file.
